


3 Times Murphy Lost a Fight, and 1 Time He Didn't

by kuklash



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: 3+1 trope, Background Marper, F/M, First Kiss, Murphy gets punched a lot, Oblivious Pining, like a lot, lots of minor fighting, work party
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-25
Updated: 2019-12-25
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:20:06
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21958015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kuklash/pseuds/kuklash
Summary: Dec. 20th, 2003"This party is gonna fucking suck, Clarke.""Of course it’s gonna suck, Murphy, but if you want this job you have to schmooze," the blonde said with an eye roll. "The best place to schmooze is the company Christmas party."
Relationships: Clarke Griffin/John Murphy, Emori & John Murphy (The 100)
Comments: 3
Kudos: 46
Collections: Chopped: Holiday Trope Exchange 1.0





	3 Times Murphy Lost a Fight, and 1 Time He Didn't

**Author's Note:**

> So to be honest, this started out as a Memori fic, but after the second segment I realized that it was definitely a Clurphy fic instead! I always have a lot of fun writing Murphy!  
> Hope you enjoy this!  
> The tropes I was asked to include were:  
> 1\. 3+1  
> 2\. Oblivious Pining  
> 3\. Work Party  
> 4\. First Kiss  
> \+ Murphy and Emori friendship

Dec. 20th, 2003

"This party is gonna fucking suck, Clarke."

"Of course it’s gonna suck, Murphy, but if you want this job you have to schmooze," the blonde said with an eye roll. "The best place to schmooze is the company Christmas party."

The two walked down the snowy sidewalks, bundled up against the cold winds. Murphy continued to mumble complaints under his breath as they finally reached their destination: the Arcadia Life Insurance Headquarters.

"Abandon hope all ye who enter here," Murphy sighed, resulting in another glare from Clarke.

"If you don't want the job then you can leave, Murphy," Clarke reprimanded him, "but I don't know many other places that hire former criminals."

Murphy groaned and messed with his hair, desperately trying to make his long hair look a little more professional as they walked through the front door.

"Afternoon, Ms. Griffin.”

"Hi, Clarke."

"Hey, David. Hey, Nathan," Clarke responded, cheerily.

Murphy threw a side eye towards the two security guards. He had never been a fan of authority figures.

"The Millers are cool, Murphy," Clarke insisted. "Nathan here just finished up his short stay in prison. He’s the one who told me about Thelonious' 'City of Light' redemption program."

"That's right," David confirmed, clapping his hand down hard on his son's shoulder. "He's staying on the right side of the law from now on."

Nathan shrunk under the weight of his father's hand. Murphy figured it was also from the weight of the responsibility.

He followed Clarke to the next room and opened the door to the most depressing work party he had ever seen. The office cubicles were adorned with cheap tinsel and ornaments, while the office workers were adorned with equally cheap Santa hats. The generic Christmas music pumped out of the small boombox in the corner cast an atmosphere of artificial joy over a crowd of empty faces and empty glasses.

"Clarke," Murphy cautiously started, "did you actually take me to hell."

"That's not the best introduction, Mr. Murphy," came a voice from directly beside him.

Murphy whipped around and came face to face with a slender man with dark skin and a salt and pepper goatee.

"Thelonious Jaha," the man said, stretching his hand out. "Ms. Griffin has spoken highly of you. Let's hope there really is a diamond in the rough inside you."

Murphy took his hand gingerly, unsure of what he’d just got himself into.

* * *

"How did it go?" Clarke asked as Murphy walked out of the conference room.

"Well I got the job, but I feel like I just sold my soul for a dental plan," Murphy groaned.

"Your friend has a lot of potential here, Clarke," said Jaha, suddenly appearing beside Murphy again before walking away into the party area.

"But seriously, he creeps me the fuck out," Murphy said with a shudder.

"You get used to it," Clarke insisted.

She turned and followed Jaha into the fray, leaving Murphy feeling very, very alone.

"You the new felon?" came a voice from behind him.

Murphy nearly jumped out of his skin.

"Do you guys get paid to be creepy as fuck or is that just a hobby?" he asked sharply as he turned to face the dark haired girl.

"What did you get arrested for? Stalking an ex?" she asked, clearly not impressed.

"My ex's house burned down under suspicious circumstances," Murphy explained.

"It's a shame my type isn't bad boys," she said, seductively, brushing back her hair with a deformed hand. "Or else I'd probably pretend I was drunk enough for you to take home."

"Yeah, and it's a shame my type isn't face tattoos and mangled hands, or I'd pretend you were hot enough to take home," Murphy fired back instinctively.

The next thing Murphy was aware of was Clarke kicking him in the ribs as he lay on the ground.

"Wake up asshole," Clarke said, shortly.

"What did I drink?" Murphy groaned, trying to ignore the throbbing pain in his head.

"You didn't drink anything," Clarke told him. "You just insulted Emori, the head of accounting and Jaha's model for the City of Light Redemption Program. She decked you. Immediately. And you hit the ground like a ton of bricks. You're lucky you still have a job."

Murphy ignored her lecture and asked the only thing he could think to ask. "Did any hot girls see it?"

Clarke rolled her eyes.

"Emori and I were the only people nearby. Harper was busy talking to one of the IT guys, but I can't remember his name."

"So, no hot girls then."

Dec. 18th, 2004

"Guess what day it is!" Clarke said excitedly as she walked next to Murphy.

"The day where I get to come into work for an unpaid Saturday and drink warm eggnog out of a solo cup with the people I see every day?" he guessed, voice full of sarcasm and malice.

"Nope," Clarke said cheerily. "It's the anniversary of the day Emori laid you out on your ass for insulting her at the work party of a job you didn't even have yet!"

Murphy winced. He had been trying to move past that for the past year, but the entire sales team liked to remind him of the time he got beat up by a girl. Roan liked to tell the story to all of his friends when they'd stop by to pick him up for lunch, and Bellamy was always there to show them the picture Clarke took of him before she woke him up.

Clarke started talking, snapping him out of his thoughts and back into the real world just in time to see Finn standing outside the office building.

"There you guys are," he said, eyes warm towards Clarke and cold towards Murphy. 

"Sorry Finn, it takes Murphy forever to get ready," Clarke said, giving Finn a quick kiss before they entered the building together.

Murphy rolled his eyes and followed them, reminding himself that it couldn't be as bad as last year.

* * *

"This is worse than last year," Murphy said, watching Finn grind on Clarke as a terrible rap pop song played over the radio. Jaha was out of town visiting his son, and had left Bellamy in charge of party planning. Gone were the tinsel and Christmas music, replaced by alcohol and Top 100 tracks.

"You're crazy man" slurred Nathan Miller, already drunk and dancing next to Murphy. "This is loads better than the shit Jaha normally does."

At least this time I know everyone's names, he thought to himself. He watched as the receptionist Harper left her boyfriend from IT, Monty, and went to grab some more drinks. Jasper, also from IT, immediately ran over to Monty and started coaching him on how to continue wooing her. Roan was trying desperately to dance with Emori, who was very clearly trying to ignore him, while Marcus Kane from HR was busy talking to David Miller about the stock market or some shit.

Murphy turned his attention back to Finn and Clarke, and he couldn't help but stare at them until Emori walked up to him.

"Looks like someone's making moves on your girl, John," she said softly, but forcefully.

"What are you talking about?" Murphy asked, sincerely confused about what Emori was saying.

"Look, if you dont want to admit it, that's fine," Emori said with a smirk, "but don't play dumb to me."

"Do you ever make sense?" Murphy asked, probably a little too aggressively.

"Do you ever man up and take what you want?" asked Emori, forcefully staring him in the eyes.

Suddenly, Murphy felt a fist strike him across the face. He turned to see Nathan Miller, drunk off his ass, throwing his limbs around randomly in an attempt to dance.

"Back off, dude," Murphy said, face not nearly as bruised as his ego as he turned back around. But another dance attempt by Miller caused them both to tumble.

"Miller, you drunk piece of shit. Get off me!" he yelled as he shoved the man off of him.

Miller responded by throwing up on Murphy's shoes. That kind of argument has no rebuttal. Instead, Murphy threw a punch at the drunk security guard, only to be tackled to the ground by David Miller.

"You back off, Murphy," David insisted, pushing his knee into Murphy's back. Murphy looked up to see Emori and Clarke looking concerned for his well being, making him inexplicably happy.

David got up from on top of Murphy and went to take care of his son, as Murphy got up from the floor and headed towards the door. This year really was worse than last year.

Dec. 17th, 2005

"I swear to God, if I get punched at another one of these stupid ass Christmas parties I will burn this place down," Murphy vowed as he and Clarke turned the corner on their walk to the office.

"Careful who hears that Murphy," Clarke warned. "You of all people should know that arson gets you in big trouble."

"I'm serious." Murphy insisted, causing Clarke to stick out her tongue at him and scrunch up her nose.

Murphy laughed a little at the sight, and the feeling warmed him slightly. But the warmth went away when he saw Finn cross the street and run up to them.

"Hey, babe," Finn said, greeting Clarke with a passionate kiss.

"Why do you never kiss me like that, Finn?" Murphy joked. But Finn didn't even acknowledge him, instead leading Clarke into the office.

Murphy hung around outside for a few more minutes, definitely not in a terrible hurry to go to yet another Christmas party at his shitty job.

* * *

The first thing he noticed was the music. With Jaha staying in town this Christmas, the generic Christmas music was back. The sound of jingle bells combined with the terrible overhead lighting to instantly give Murphy a headache. A headache instantly made worse by seeing Finn and Clarke together again. Murphy just didn't think Finn was right for her. He didn't know who WAS right for her, but it definitely wasn't Finn Collins. But they had been dating for almost two years now, so it seemed like he was gonna be around for a long, long time. Murphy suddenly found himself with heartburn.

"Damn eggnog," Murphy mumbled to himself, blaming his heartburn on the lukewarm froth he was nursing near the snack bar.

The party was more scarce this year, mostly due to Jaha's party planning returning. Monty and Harper had gotten married a few days ago, so they were still on their honeymoon, and Jasper had taken the week off to wallow in his loneliness, presumably. Roan, having struck out with Emori, was roaming the office looking for something to do.

Thelonious had brought his son Wells this time, and the two of them were bonding over some eggnog near Jaha's office.

Emori walked over from the dance floor and leaned on the wall next to Murphy.

"So who's beating you up this year?" she asked, looking at Murphy with both amusement and a hint of pity.

"Hopefully someone who hits as hard as you," he said, throwing her a grin. "That way I don't have to be embarrassed until after I wake up."

She laughed and playfully punched his arm.

"No, but seriously," he insisted. "You hit like a truck."

His eyes trailed back to Clarke and Finn, and his headache returned.

"These lights are giving me such a headache," Murphy complained, rubbing his temples in an attempt to ease the pain.

"Sure, John," Emori said, rolling her eyes at him.

"What?"

"Blame the lights all you want, but we all know its something else," she insisted. "You never get headaches during work, so something else must be stressing you out."

"Probably this shitty music," he said, eyes still on Clarke.

"You are the most dense motherfucker I have EVER met," Emori huffed, walking away from him.

"Dude, we should fight," a voice from behind him piped up suddenly.

Murphy whipped around to see Roan standing there, flask in hand, and reeking of alcohol.

"What's the fucking deal with you guys?" Murphy asked, exasperated. "All you want to do is sneak up on people and fucking punch them."

"It's not fair," Roan whined. "Everyone else gets to fight you and I don't."

Out of the corner of his eye, Murphy saw Clarke and Finn kiss, and he started getting angrier with everything.

"You're such a psychotic, whiny bitch, Roan," Murphy spat. "Has it ever occurred to you that I dont want to be punched every fucking year?"

Murphy continued to yell at Roan, gathering an audience as he tore into the guy.

"You act like you're tough shit but then you start crying like a fucking baby because you can’t punch someone? What. The. Fuck. Is wrong with you?" Murphy screamed.

He should have seen the punch coming. Roan all but announced that he was going to fight him, but Murphy was too caught up in his own confusing anger to think straight. And that's how he ended up getting punched in the face for the third year in a row.

Dec. 23rd, 2006

Murphy walked to the party alone, the white streets feeling even colder and the wind even more harsh. Clarke had decided to meet with Finn early so they could get dinner beforehand, leaving Murphy feeling both lonely and angry in ways he couldn't figure out. He wasn't even sure why he was headed to the Christmas party. The party always sucked and he always got in a fight and Clarke was always with Finn and he’d barely even seen her the last few months because she was always out with Finn. Regardless, here he was, standing outside the office building on a Saturday afternoon in the freezing cold.

Murphy took a deep breath and opened the door to his personal hell.

* * *

"You look like shit, dude," Emori said, immediately walking over to him when he entered the building.

Murphy looked out into the crowd and saw Finn and Clarke together again, dancing to some stupid Christmas songs on the radio. His headache started up instantly.

"I just don't get it," Emori started. "Why don't you say anything?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he insisted. "I never know what you're talking about at these things."

Emori looked both incredibly confused and immensely amused.

"You're kidding right, John?"

He shrugged his shoulders and stared at her.

"You're in love with Clarke, dude."

Murphy's whole world started vibrating.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, voice shaking slightly. "She's just my friend."

"You're the most oblivious guy I've ever met, John," she said, rolling her eyes. "You took the job to be close to her, you spend every second staring at her, and you get super angry when you see Finn putting his hands on her. You love her. You just don't want to admit it"

Murphy's vision started spinning as he came to the conclusion he'd been missing for the seven years he'd known her.

He loved Clarke.

Murphy stormed over to the dance floor and pushed his way up to Clarke, stepping between her and Finn.

"Clarke," he said, voice small and shaking. "I love you. I've loved you for years and I've just been too damn stupid to realize it."

Her eyes flickered with some sort of emotion that Murphy couldn't distinguish and he suddenly felt like this was a very bad idea.

An feeling that was backed up by the sudden punch to the back of his head.

Murphy stumbled forward, but kept his footing as he swung around to see Finn taking another swing.

"You son of a bitch!" Finn yelled, catching Murphy in the chest with his second punch.

Suddenly, Finn's face changed to one of shock, and he slumped to the floor, revealing the shape of Clarke behind him, taser in hand. She dropped the taser and fell to her knees in front of Murphy. Her soft, blonde hair cascading down her shoulders, she grabbed his face and kissed him deeply. He sat there in shock for a moment, before the sudden realization of reality hit him harder than a punch to the face: he had her. He was kissing Clarke. He pulled her in closer, returning her kiss with every bit of fervor she had given him. This was everything he didn't know he wanted.

As they broke their kiss, Clarke put her forehead gently on Murphy's shoulder, and he pulled her as close as he could.

"John Murphy you fucking idiot," Clarke whispered into his shoulder. "You are the most dense person I have ever met."

"Well fucking finally!" Emori yelled from the other side of the room. "It was like watching two snails try to solve a riddle, you idiots."

Murphy laughed softly, holding his love in his arms. Maybe these Christmas parties weren’t so bad.


End file.
